The Marshlands
by Prime-Minister-Holmes
Summary: Carlos was an aspiring physicist, and had big plans for his life. After being turned down by several universities, he is accepted into an internship program in the enigmatic town of Night Vale. After a town meeting went wrong, will Carlos be able to find out where he has been transported? How will he get back?


Prologue

"Listen, Carlos, your studies are nothing short of inspiring. We would love to have you join our ranks of elite scientists, however," Dr. Padgett held up one pudgy finger, "Your work dances too intimately with the occult for our liking." My heart sank; I had worked my butt of for years trying to obtain enough qualifications in order to get a job at the Hadron Collider. I opened my mouth to speak but a raised hand from Dr. Padgett silenced me. "Though, I am willing to give you an offer." He confided quietly, "We have an internship program that we encourage you to join." It wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, but beggars can't be choosers I suppose. "What would this entail?" I inquired, genuinely interested in this 'internship program'. "There is an empty lab in a little town called Night Vale. You won't be paid; you'll have a few assistants, and get funding enough to purchase equipment." It sounded too good to be true. It was the best offer I had ever received, so I knew that I was going to take it.

Wouldn't you?

Chapter One

My hands were starting to slip from the steering wheel of my car. I risked a quick wipe on my jeans to try and remove the sweat that had accumulated on them. The AC was already cranked to the highest level, and every bit of clothing, as was modest, was currently lying in the passenger seat next to mine. The desert weather had been taking its toll on me. I was born and raised in Michigan, which was quite different than The Middle Of Freaking Nowhere, New Mexico. Sweat had already formed a thin sheen on my skin, and my hair was sticking to my forehead. Hopefully this Night Vale place had a decent clothes outlet, my current wardrobe didn't have 99 degrees desert in mind. Tall green and brown saguaros with long razor spines loomed morosely in the vast expanse of sand and dead bushes. A blood red sun slunk across the dimming sky like a wounded animal. The pungent scent of gasoline hit my nose just as the sound of helicopters hit my ears. A small group of them hummed over my car and disappeared into the dark oblivion. Almost as soon as they had passed the radio on my car switched on.

"A new visitor is approaching Night Vale dear listeners, and his name is _Carlos. _Let us wait and see what it is that he wants." A staticky voice poured out of the speakers. How this person knew of my destination was baffling, but I had seen stranger in my studies. My studies… that was the reason I am out here. Just because of my interest in the supernatural. Apparently a young physicist should not delve into such questionable subjects. Dr. Padgett had assured me that Night Vale would satisfy my hobby. Despite being an atheist of sorts, the paranormal held my curiosity. On a summer vacation in New York; my brother had dropped the phone in our hotel room. It seemed to be broken, so we unplugged it and put it in the cupboard. That night, the phone had ringed, no one had the nerve to answer it though. That event was so bizarre to me that I had researched possible answers. Most sites said that it was some deity trying to contact us; others said it was a ghost. Believing in neither, I was bound and determined to find out the scientific reason why the phone had rang, why things went bump in the night, why people believed that they were possessed. This had distracted me from my college career, but I still graduated with honors. A large black sign with thick white lettering that said, 'Welcome To Night Vale', appeared on the horizon. A smattering of buildings sprawled across the desert sand behind it, illuminated by the moonlight. It was so ghost-like when I arrived. Every door was closed, every window shuttered, and every light off. Not a single soul wandered to empty streets. I inched my car over towards the lab that I was going to use right next to a strangely acclaimed pizza place. I dug the key out of my pocket and opened the door. The inside of the lab was workable. Cracked linoleum tiles lined the floor, dusty shelves filled with vials and beakers lined the walls. Outdated machinery huddled in the corners, an old radio sat in the corner of an abused counter top. The rusty sink spout leaked brown water. Despite its evident shortcomings, a lot of hard work and effort would make this lab a useable space, heck, an ideal space. Funding should be able to replace the machinery, I could purchase more vials with my own savings, and if my assistants chipped in we could clean it up really nicely. I walked up the stairs in the corner that would lead to my bedroom. I opened the door and collapsed, exhausted, on my bed.

Soft golden light peeked through the windows warming my cheeks; I was still a bit tired, but knew that I needed to get work done in the lab. After pulling on the lightest clothing I had with me I ran down the stairs and opened the broom closet. The cleaning supplies were sorely lacking, with one, broken, broom. Feeling a little dejected, I asked Siri where the closest Kroger was. Apparently, there is no Kroger in Night Vale, only a Ralph's. Determined to make the most of my unfortunate situation I drove to the Ralph's. Ralph's is nothing like Kroger. None of the aisles were organized in the least, and products were strewn across the floor. A few customers milled around, picking through large piles of bruised apples and threadbare clothing. With much difficulty I managed to locate some cleaning supplies. There was a half empty bottle of Windex, a few Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, and assorted mops and brooms. I felt good, even though the selection was disappointing, I got everything for twenty-seven cents. Passer-byes stared at me as I loaded my purchases into my car. Not unpleasantly, just staring. And they whispered a bit, I caught little things, like 'Oh, his hair really is beautiful', and 'I wonder if he really smells like lavender chewing gum'. I grabbed one pedestrian by the arm.

"Why are they talking about me?" I asked him.

"Oh Carlos, don't you listen to the radio?" He responded mysteriously and walked of. Confused, I drove home and began to work. I finally gave up when the mop was almost black with grime, the brooms bristles were falling out, the Windex gone, and the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers soiled. The lab was noticeably cleaner, though. I had polished all of the salvageable vials and machinery, mopped the floors, and cleaned the windows. Not to mention I had consumedthe copious amount of cough syrup from the dust. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail; still, dark chocolate ringlets tickled the side of my face as I wiped down the shelves with a damp dishrag. I nearly fell over when my phone rang from inside my jeans pocket.

"Er, hello?" I said, wiping my hands on a cleaner towel.

"Carlos? It is your lab assistants, we are at Big Rico's if you would like to come and join us. We have much to discuss with you." The person whispered. Then they hung up. The phone sat silently in my hands, I put it back into my pocket. The lab had been cleaned, taking several hours, so I supposed that it was time for lunch. Upon arriving at Big Rico's I realized that I was famished. A lack of breakfast tends to have that effect. Several hands shot into the air waving me over when I entered. The rest of the people muttered to each other, much more hushed than before. I slid into an already crammed booth next to a portly man with a gray beard.

"Ah, hello Carlos. I am Victoria." Victoria gestured to the woman at her left, "This is Lea, this is Jack, this is Harvey, and this is Garth." She finished with the man I was sitting next to.

"A pleasure to finally meet you all. I am excited to begin work." I said, trying to maintain a professional atmosphere.

"Since you are new to Night Vale, we think that it would be a good idea for you to call a town meeting. You know, so everyone can get a good look at you." Lea smiled. The rest of the scientists nodded.

"Okay, so how would I do that?"

Chapter Two

The town meeting did not have a high turnout. There were only about twenty people, all munching on corn muffins. Tall, imposing men in black suits and shades stood at the back, a few children sat in the front rows, a haggard looking woman in a pants suit started at the ceiling with blank eyes, a little old lady with a tray of corn muffins in her lap, several seats were empty all around her, and there was a slight man sitting at the back murmuring into a tape recorder with the hungry, suspicious look of a reporter.

"Okay, um, my name is Carlos." Great, they all know that, I mentally slapped my forehead, "Night Vale is a location of scientific importance. In my opinion, it is the most scientifically interesting community in America. I am here to figure out, just what is going on around here." I went on to explain various studies I had done, and that I was a physicist. They didn't seem to understand what that meant, so I made it scientist. Afterwards, I decided to start answering questions from different people.

"You really are a cutie aren't you?" the little old woman pinched my cheek, smiling, "I am Josie by the way. You can call me Old Woman Josie."

"Oh, well a to meet you, uh, Old Woman Josie." I stammered. Children came to me and asked me questions that I had no idea as to the answer. Questions like, 'Where would one find Vimby?', and 'Are the angels real?'. Finally the thin man approached me. Plum colored spectacles perched on his nose, snowy white hair despite his tender age, long nimble fingers, ivory complexion, purple clothing, and tattoos lining his arms. An overall weirdo.

"Hello," he extended a hand, and my ears rang with the sound of his voice, "Cecil."

"Nice to meet you Cecil." Cecil made a high pitched noise in the back of his throat.

"Oh, the pleasures all mine," He smiled a bit too wide, revealing two pristine rows of gleaming, white, _fangs, _"I was hoping for an interview, I am sure that my listeners would be so terribly happy to know you better. Welcome to Night Vale, crap, I should have said that first…" His brow was furrowed, and he stared intensely at his feet.

"I would love to do an interview, Cecil." Another high pitched noise sounded from Cecil.

"Okay, well, what motivated you to come here?" he asked, all business now.

"I was attempting to get a job at the Hadron Collider," Cecil blinked, "It is a scientifiky thing, but instead I was offered an internship program to come work out here."

"Are you married?" Cecil looked completely serious at this question.

"Um, no." I answered. A little bit confused.

"Oh good," He looked, well, relieved, "Do you have a girlfriend? A crush? Infatuation with anyone or anything?"

"I, uh, well, um, no." I stammered. This interview was starting to become a little unpleasant.

"Good, good. Now lets move on to more, pressing, subjects." I sighed, _finally. _Cecil straightened his spectacles, "Your hair."

"What!?" I screeched.

"It's just sooooo perfect! Do you use products on it? Because it is divine!" Cecil gushed.

"Um, thanks." I said, unsure how to answer that question. Luckily, Cecil seemed to be finished with the interview, "Here, just in case you need me for something." He said pulling out a business card.

"Oh, and if you need me." I pulled out a scrap of paper and scribbled my number on it. Cecil beamed at me, then he saw my pen and paled.

"Carlos, give me that pen! You are lucky that we have our twelve day grace period! Let me dispose of that," he reached out and took my pen, "Writing utensils are strictly forbidden!" Cecil then pulled out a cocktail straw with cotton sticking out of the end, "Here is my home phone number." He held out the card. I took it with trembling hands. Cecil turned and walked away, dropping the pen in a trash can and flexing his fingers as if it had burned him. That was the strangest thing I had seen yet, Cecil. What a freak. Shrugging, I returned to my lab assistants.

"Shall we be off? I have to order some new equipment." I watched as they entered their respective vehicles. Whistling an eerie tune that I had never heard before, I walked to mine own car.

Chapter Three

The shipping truck backed slowly into the driveway of the lab. I distracted myself from the glowing cloud now floating off in the distance by ordering the new machines. I signed the necessary papers and the sun-tanned men with hairy forearms hauled the equipment inside. The rest of the scientists were huddled around the old radio, listening intently to Cecil's smooth words.

"Uh, guys do you want to he-" Garth held up a liver-spotted hand.

"Hush, we are listening." He whispered. Realizing that no one was going to move from the spot, I pulled up a chair and joined their circle. I heard the community calendar, the fun fact science corner, community health tips, and my name.

"Carlos," he purred through the speakers, "with his perfect and beautiful hair with the dignified, if premature, touch of gray at the temples." My mouth fell open. Only the fear of eating the strangely large flies that buzzed around the room made me close it. I didn't think that my hair was really _that _perfect, it was painfully thick and refused to be pulled back so it currently hung limp from head covering the collar of my lab coat. I had never heard a man fawn over something of my own, besides a little Shih-Tzu puppy I had given to my brother's family. Cecil went on to describe my teeth, my jawline, and voice as is I was practically oozing sex appeal. Which I wasn't in the least. I don't think, I mean I wasn't trying. I lifted up my black frames and rubbed my eyes. This Cecil fellow was a puzzling conundrum wrapped inside an enigma dowsed in mystery sprinkled with the most perplexing, mind-boggling riddles that would ever be in existence. I had to see him again. Later that day, I got my chance. After studying the light in Radon Canyon, I noticed that there were huge radiation readings coming from the radio station. I hopped in my car and speeded over to NVCRS. I opened the door and found Cecil standing there with a couple interns drinking coffee.

"Carlos! What brings you here?" Cecil asked, his eyes wide, and his cheeks flushed.

"I am picking up weird radiation readings from your booth." I breathed, slapping the Geiger meter I was holding.

"Why didn't you just call me? He inquired, "I mean, I am glad to see you, but wouldn't that have been easier?" He did seem to be a little _too _happy to see me. But he did have a point. Why didn't I just call? A bit flustered, I answered his question with a lie.

"I was unsure if you were, um, still doing the show, uh, I mean you were when I left. I just meant to give the news, to, an, uh, intern." Wincing at every word that left my mouth, I peeked open one eye and saw that he was beaming at me.

"You're lying!" Despite that he was still grinning from ear to ear, "You just wanted to see me!" he shrieked, grabbing my arm and looping it in his.

"Um, okay, well you got the message." I said awkwardly, trying to free my arm.

"Oh, right," he frowned, looking hurt, "See you whenever." From over Cecil's shoulder one of the interns scowled at me and shook her head slowly. Feeling unwelcome, I staggered through the door and walked, guiltily, to my car. I banged my head against the steering wheel until I started to feel a headache coming on. With an exasperated sigh, I drove back to the lab. When I arrived, all of the machinery was inside and plugged in, as if waiting to be used. The other lab assistants were all lounging around drinking coffee.

"Wow, it looks grand! I can't wait to start working." I must have betrayed my exhaustion, because Lea put her hand on my shoulder.

"He will forgive you, he's just really pushy. And eager to move things along, someday he'll understand that most people don't 'fall in love instantly'." she confided. My cheeks were burning so hard, that Lea might be getting a tan. I'm not even sure if I like Cecil in that particular manner. My father was a self-proclaimed homophobe. He was the reason that I was detached most of my life, I didn't want him to find out about my sexuality. If my elder was not paying for my college tuition, I would have thwarted his traditional views years ago. An amused grunt from Harley brought my thoughts back to reality.

"You two are so cute!" Victoria exclaimed, waving her hands about like a jazz dancer.

"What!? No, I have only met him twice! I don't even know his last name for Pete's sake!" This conversation was going downhill quickly. My face was about to be reduced to ashes from blushing with the amount of intensity I was.

"Ha, the young and idealistic…" Garth chuckled into his wrinkled fist, "And it is Palmer, his name, that is, Cecil Gershwin Palmer."

"You aren't helping." I pinched the bridge of my nose, but apparently no one else noticed my evident distress, "Shouldn't we be getting to work?" The rest of my scientists groaned, save for Garth, who winked at me.

The next day I woke up to a terrible screaming. I ran downstairs, oblivious to the fact that I was wearing a Gremlins t-shirt and a pair of boxers. Victoria was in the middle of the floor clawing at her eyes as they bled, profusely onto the white linoleum.

"Victoria! OMIGAWDAREYOUOKAY!?" I screamed and rushed to her side, adrenaline pumping.

"RAAAAAGH!" she writhed across the crimson stained floor. More than a little freaked out, I tried to pin her down, to no avail. Whatever it was that was afflicting her did not want to go down easily. I whispered soothing words into her ears trying to calm her down. Eventually, Victoria seemed to be tiring, her punches becoming sloppy, screams lowering in pitch, eyes settling in one place for longer than a second before flitting away.

"Ooooohhhhhhh..." she whined, trembling fingers wiping her eyes, "Wha' happen'?"

"I haven't the foggiest." I answered truthfully. Then, Lea, Harley, and Garth sauntered in, unaware as to what had happened. All they saw was Victoria in my arms, suddenly very close, covered in blood.

"Cecil is gonna kill you." Harley summed up unceremoniously with a sip of his coffee.

"Not if I do first. She is my sister! Paws of, rapist!" Lea accused. Only Garth was silent, staring at me, unassuming.

"No, its not like that!" I stammered, face burning. Victoria nodded, and stood up. Though she still remained by me, as if trying to prove my innocence.

"You mean you didn't hear me? I was screeching like a banshee in here." She cocked her head.

"Not a bit." Lea ran a hand through her honey-blonde hair, almost the exact same shade as Victoria's. She gave me one last suspicious glare before going into her office. Harley patted my shoulder and gave me an apologetic glance and entered his. Garth just chuckled and left for the bathroom. Victoria smiled and kissed my cheek, thankful for my help. I froze. I didn't unfreeze until she had left the room. Then, I wiped my face fervently with my sleeve, then used a Clorox wipe for good measure. Not one person in my entire thirty-one years of life had ever done that to me. Not my parents, sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, friends, almost-more-than-friends friends, no one. The fact that Victoria was the first, with her pudgy hands, plump stature, flat gray eyes, and limp hair was revolting. She was nice and all, but, eugh! Now I am in no way shape or form a germaphobe. I just don't do people. I do science. Science is all I need, with its pleasant factuality and comforting logic. The pure joy of discovery fulfilled me more than any romantic partner ever could. Feeling as if I had cleaned myself thoroughly I walked back upstairs to get properly dressed.

After a filling breakfast of Cool Ranch Doritos that had expired a month ago, I walked downstairs to begin working on actual sciencey work. The seismographs were picking up insanely big earthquakes occurring right now. _That's odd, _I thought, running a hand through my unruly hair. I checked all of the plugs and wires, the meter and the pen. All were in working order. I called in the rest of my team.

"What is it!?" Harvey called down the hallway. His messy brown hair sticking up in every direction possible.

"According to this brand-new seismograph that is perfect condition, a 9.8 strength earthquake is going on right now." I stated flatly.

"What the hell," Lea stared at the readings, "How is that even possible?" Garth shook his head slowly, Victoria just looked tired.

"I'll call the town meeting." Harvey sighed.

Chapter Five

I just so happen to not be an entirely huge fan of town meetings. The room was overly stuffed and muggy. Warm bodies shifted restlessly around trying, without success, to get comfortable. The room happened to be a large broom closet, and the people happened to be Cecil with his intern entourage.

"Uh, well, we have discovered that there have been some major tectonic shifts that are causing serious earthquakes." I explained.

"How is it we cannot feel them?" One intern asked with a raised eyebrow, his microphone extended towards me.

"Well, I, uh, um, you see, that, well, the tectonic shifts are, uh," I stuttered for a while and just gave up.

"Where did you get that shirt?" Cecil asked, his violet eyes wide with something resembling awe. My throat grew painfully dry, and the part of my brain that controlled speech died.

"I-I'll look at m-m-my charts and, uh, g-graphs to see if, if I can discern any actual, um, cause for our inability t-to feel these, um, earthquakes." I managed. He seemed to be a bit stung by my disregard of his question, but I am trying to stay professional here. A nasty tremor shook the building.

"Was that an earthquake?" An intern, Dana, I think, inquired.

"No, that was a blow from the side, not the bottom." Another intern pointed out. Whichever direction it had come from, it was horribly frightening. Another hit smashed through the wall.

"Oh my GAWD!" Lea screeched, clutching Victoria's arm. Garth seemed to be only mildly unsettled. Harvey was drained of color, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. _WHATTHEHECKISGOINGONAROUNDHERE!?, _I mentally screamed. One of the Interns had passed out and was being cared for by Dana. Now the room was spinning as if we were in a tornado, the door remained firmly shut, but we could here wind rushing outside the closet. Cecil was even paler than his usual, his long skeletal-like fingers clenching the microphone.

"Everyone CALM DOWN." I mean, we are only stuck in a swirling vortex of death, "Sit down and cover your heads, we will just have to wait this out." My voice was strangely reassuring, even for me, the jump-immediately-to-worst-case-scenario kind of guy. Everyone did as I told them to, with varying levels of enthusiasm. If the room felt crowded before, that was nothing. Before we were standing up, now we are all curled into balls cowering beneath our arms as if that flimsy chunk of flesh would protect us from, say, a gigantic piece of flying metal. Then, as suddenly as it had started, the swirling and thumping stopped. The door swung open, and moonlight filled the closet. I took a tentative step out. My foot landed on soft, green grass.

"What? What is it?" Cecil asked, his usually smooth voice trembling slightly. I pushed my glasses back up onto my nose.

"It is, well, grass. It's grass! In the desert!" I exclaimed. I jumped out of the closet and onto the grass.

"What if we're not in the desert?" Harvey whispered shyly. I paused my parade. That made sense; I mean we were obviously no longer where we were before. Kneeling down, I pulled some of the grass out of the ground. Underneath it was soil so rich and fertile John Peters (you know the farmer) would probably be able to actually grow corn. It was nighttime now and the constellations were completely different than the ones in Night Vale. The sky was a lot more, well, void-like wherever we were. A bird streaked across the stars, its haunting call sent a shiver down my spine.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

Chapter Six

"Kansas? What about Kansas? We were never in Kansas! Were we? How could we have been? Are you sure Carlos?" Cecil rambled, I sighed deeply and shook my head.

"Let's explore a bit, maybe we'll find a town or something." I speculated. Dana nodded, her poufy hair getting in her face. Everyone else grumbled a bit before following after me. Within ten minutes we could see a small settlement on the horizon. Little huts with thatched roofs and smoking chimneys were an odd sight for the twenty-first century. The grass had grown wet, and my shoes were soaked through, giving me the strange sensation of walking through a marsh with every, exhausted, step.

"Oh my god, CARLOS! When are we just going to take a break?" One of the interns whined.

"Quiet Lelind, Carlos is being very nice leading us. We will take a break when we reach that little town up there." Cecil stated, his hands waving about. Lelind sighed, but did not complain further.

"Thank you Cecil, we will be there in an about five minutes." I returned curtly. The sun was starting to rise, casting long spindly shadows across the grass. I ran a hand through my hair, which was sticking to the back of my neck. After digging around in my pockets I gave up on trying to find a tie to pull it back. Cecil skipped up and fell into pace at my side.

"Do you know where we are?" he asked quietly.

"Not a clue, its not very cold, there is a lot of grass, pretty cloudy, a bit foggy, my guess is somewhere in Europe." I responded.

"I've been to Europe before!" Cecil exclaimed gaily, "I went to Franchea, Svitz, and Luftnarp!" I was pretty sure that those weren't real countries, but I had no desire to rain all over his parade.

"That is wonderful." I said unenthusiastically.

"Do you travel much Carlos?" he questioned absently.

"Not really, I was born and raised in Michigan, I even moved into a house across from the one I grew up in."

"I haven't either, that trip to Europe was the only time I ever left Night Vale. Except for now I guess." Cecil looked at his shoes.

"Don't worry. We'll be back before you know it." I patted his shoulder and he blushed.

"Do you really think so?"

"Yeah absolutely."


End file.
